Submissions

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Taproot Editorial Guidelines

We are an independent, quarterly, ad-free print magazine. Taproot celebrates farm, food, family and craft through writing, photography and the arts, both fine and domestic. Our magazine is divided into three sections -

Head - essays about living a more connected life

Hands - recipes, crafts and projects to make yourself

Heart - the personal experience of more connected living

If you are interested in submitting something to us for publication, we encourage you to first familiarize yourself with our pages by spending some time with an issue or two. We read and consider unsolicited submissions. Taproot accepts non-fiction, food and craft instruction, personal narrative prose, and art alike. Our contributors are paid, though the rate varies depending on the type and length of submission. On average, submissions range from 500-4000 words (the latter being maximum). Depending on the nature of the article and space within the pages of the issue, we may reserve the right to edit pieces in length. Taproot Magazine does not accept previously published material; however, we do accept simultaneous submissions. If you are submitting simultaneously, we request that you let us know to withdraw if a piece has been accepted elsewhere. We prefer you send submissions attached as word documents, and please include the issue/theme name in the subject line of your email. For photography, artwork, or illustration submissions: if you are submitting artwork or photographs for a specific Taproot issue, attaching it as a jpg file to your email is acceptable. Please use the issue number and theme in the subject line of your submission. For artwork queries or proposals for future work, feel free to share the link to a portfolio of your work for our review. A brief bio and publication history (if any!) would be most helpful as well.

Please consult our editorial calendar (below) to see if your submission would work well with one of our upcoming topic words. All submissions, and questions about submissions, should be sent to: ideas@taprootmag.com. You will receive acknowledgement of your submission, but we regret that we are unable to answer all emails.

Our submissions inbox is a happening place! We are so grateful for the positive response to our magazine and the great number of submissions we receive there. Many of our writers have found their way to us this way, and we are excited to find more content for our pages through that channel. As a young, independent ad-free magazine supported entirely by our subscribers, we are doing our best to utilize our resources wisely, and become sustainable as a magazine. This means that we are largely unable to answer individual emails personally as they relate to submissions. We’ve tried to put together this Frequently Asked Questions in hopes that you’ll find the answer you’re looking for. And we thank you for your support and understanding!

Do you accept queries? I have a really good idea but I’m not sure if I should write an entire article for submission.

Take a moment to familiarize yourself with our publication. If your good idea seems to naturally fall into one of our themes, it’d be worth you taking the time to put pen to paper. We'd love to review a submission from you for an upcoming issue of Taproot. We cannot, however, critique ideas... and have moved away from the query/pitch submission approach as it has proven difficult to juggle around deadlines. The editorial board is asking instead that writers simply submit their written (final draft) article for review to simplify the process. Updating this process has significantly helped our review board in selecting new pieces in a timely fashion, making sure that articles are received within a timeframe for our selection and deadline.

Can you tell me what you’re looking for in submissions?

We are looking for unique, thoughtful, creative pieces exploring the topics of food, farm, family and craft. We are looking for personal narrative that has universal appeal. We are looking for stories about the makers, doers and dreamers of our time. We are looking for traditional and modern crafts. We are looking for recipes, and techniques to be carried into the kitchen, the garden, the pasture, the urban homestead, the rural farm. We are looking for art that celebrates all of these things!

I didn’t hear back from you after you received my submission!

If you have not received an email from the Taproot’s Editor or Submissions Editor by the date mentioned in the original email, it means the editorial staff did not find a place within the pages of this issue for your submission. We do appreciate your support and encourage you to submit again. If you feel that any of our upcoming themes speak to you and your craft, we'd welcome another submission from you in the future.

Can you tell me why my piece wasn’t accepted?

There are many factors that go into accepting a piece. Sometimes a piece doesn’t make it into our pages because it is too similar to something else we’ve published. Sometimes it doesn’t fit well with theme for that particular issue. Sometimes it just isn’t quite up to par in quality of writing/art/photography standards we are aiming for. Sometimes we might not accept the first submission from someone, but their second (or third!) fits just right. And sometimes, we hem and haw and fret and worry and wish that we could just add thirty more pages to fit in all the wonderful pieces that simply don’t fit into our 76 pages we make for each issue! Please continue to create. And please continue to share it with us!

Can you give me feedback about my piece? I really want to submit to Taproot!

I’m so sorry that we’re unable to do this. Our team is a small one, and we are using our time as wisely as we can to create the magazine. See above for some thoughts about why pieces aren’t accepted. Perhaps search out a writer’s group to share your work with and get feedback from?

I see that your editorial calendar lists submission deadlines well into 2015. Why? How far in advance can I submit to an upcoming theme?

The world of publishing works well in advance of seasons. This takes forethought for a writer wanting to submit to us and takes planning on the part of Editors. (For example, the issue you enjoy at the beginning of the new year was created at the end of summer.) We provide future themes of our magazine because the publishing process is long from start to finish (submission to print). Please try to submit to the theme that is currently open. Working and submitting ahead for future themes is acceptable, but please try to refrain from submitting to themes a year in advance as this proves difficult with organization. If you are submitting to multiple themes, please send each submission separately with the issue/theme name in the subject of your email.

I’m an artist and would love to see my work in the pages of Taproot Magazine. What’s the best way to do that?

Thanks for your interest in sharing your artwork with us! The visual creativity (artwork, illustrations, and photography) that fill the pages of Taproot is part of what we believe makes our independent magazine stand out from others and we need artists like you to create this aesthetic. We’d love to review your portfolio for consideration, regarding the possibility of future work with upcoming issues of Taproot. Emailing a link to your online portfolio is preferred, although we do accept snail mail submissions (please do not send originals!). Feel free to share your overall aesthetics and how you discovered our magazine too. We will keep your contact information and portfolio on file. Our editorial board pulls from this list of artists during layout, should we need artwork for specific articles in upcoming issues.

If you are planning on submitting a specific piece of art created for a particular Taproot Magazine issue, attaching it as a jpg to your email. Low resolution is acceptable, should we choose to retain your piece, we will contact you for a high resolution file. With all correspondence with Taproot, please use the issue/theme in the subject of your email.